The Utica Blue Sox earned the right to host a PGCBL playoff game for the first time ever in 2016 as they finished the regular season in second place in the West Division at 31-18 overall. They would face the third-place Jamestown Jammers, who had gone 29-20 in the regular season, at Murnane Field in the opening round in a win-or-go-home scenario. A pair of southpaws, Jamestown’s Nick Wegmann and Utica’s Kevin Woebke, would engage in a classic pitcher’s duel that went all the way into the 7th inning without either team scoring a run. That changed when leadoff man C.J. Pickering crushed a solo shot down the left field line to make it 1-0 Jammers. The Sox were stunned, but just like they had done time and time again during the regular season, they rallied. Taylor Olmstead led off the inning with a walk, then Mitch Calandra got on base thanks to a Wegmann error that allowed Olmstead to move to second base. They both advanced on a Kyle Winkler sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning, then Anthony Young struck out for the second out. Down 1-2 in the count, Mason Fessler came up clutch with a single to score both Olmstead and Calandra to put Utica ahead 2-1. Hunter Losekamp then kept the inning alive with a single of his own to knock Wegmann out of the game. Cory Blessing would replace him and the first batter he faced, Jared Baldinelli, drove in a very crucial insurance run on a base hit. Reinvigorated by this run support, Woebke took care of the middle of the Jamestown order 1-2-3 to finish his night on a high note. In the 9th, closer Ryan Green pitched a 1-2-3 inning of his own on just five pitches to put the finishing touches on Utica’s first-ever PGCBL playoff victory, which advanced them to the West Division Championship Series against the Elmira Pioneers.